1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to muzzleloading or black powder rifle accessories. In particular, the present invention relates to a tool for quickly aligning and inserting a percussion cap on the firing nipple of an in-line muzzleloader.
2. Known Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, firearms have been well known for literally centuries. For example, prior to the introduction of today's modern firearms, guns known as "black powder" and "muzzleloaders" were commonplace. Such guns often employed ammunition loaded in two stages. In the first stage, the ammunition, including the gunpowder, patches and actual projectile, would be inserted through the muzzle of the firearm where it was packed appropriately. On flintlock weapons, powder would be placed in the "flash pan" struck by the hammer while percussion cap firearms used a cap placed on the firing "nipple". In both cases, the hammer would strike and ignite a powder charge to subsequently fire the projectile.
As can be readily appreciated, percussion cap firearms were a great improvement over flintlocks for a number of reasons, including convenience, dependability, simplicity of use, etc. However, inserting the percussion cap on the firing nipple was often a difficult task for the user.
Often the nipples on percussion cap firearms are very small and wholly contained within the gun breech. Such guns also employ correspondingly small percussion caps. Small percussion caps are often difficult to handle, especially in cold weather when the user's hands may be bundled in gloves or mittens. Consequently, several devices have been proposed to alleviate the problem of handling percussion caps and placing them on nipples.
For example, some prior art devices serve as elongated holders that permit the user to place a single percussion cap on the firing nipple. These devices typically require the user to refill the tool with another cap before subsequent use. This devices requires the user to closely monitor the insertion of the cap on the nipple. As such, it is inoperable for quick second shots because of the excited or nervous condition of the user during quick second shot situations.
A closely related device enables the user to insert multiple caps without refilling the tool. These devices comprise an elongated tube capable of storing multiple caps in the tube itself. They generally employ a push spring to force caps to the tool end. Another prior art device comprises a circular holder with multiple cap holders equidistantly spaced along its periphery. Both of these devices fail to provide an easily aligned capping tool or a capping tool that accommodates both popular sizes of percussion caps.
Thus, the known prior art fails to provide an efficient method for easily aligning and inserting percussion caps quickly and efficiently on a firing nipple. For example, the known prior art fails to provide a combination capping tool that permits the user to use the various types of percussion caps that are commonly available. The known prior art also fails to provide a method for easily aligning the cap with the nipple during insertion.
Furthermore, the known prior art fails to provide capping tools that are ambidextrous. The known prior art discussed hereinabove is only designed for right handed usage. That is, these tools fail to permit a user to utilize the cap with either their right or left hand.
A desirable improvement would be to provide a capping tool that would enable the user to easily align a percussion cap with a firing nipple. Another desirable improvement would be to provide a capping tool that could be employed with either the right or the left hand of the user. Yet another desirable contribution would be an improvement in which the capping tool would automatically align the cap with the nipple during insertion. Such an improvement would facilitate quick second shots regardless of the user's ability to see the firing nipple. Another improvement would be a capping tool that worked well with nipples of different sizes. A capping tool that held multiple caps to facilitate rapid reloading would also be desirable.